


Slow Down

by Burgie



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/F, female WoL
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 17:13:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20474645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Veronyka gets a small lesson in slowdancing.





	Slow Down

The weather was... weird in Revenant's Toll today. And not 'weird' in the general 'the Calamity made the entire climate weird' sense. 'Weird' in, well... the air was purple. Actually purple. When Veronyka moved her hand through the air in front of her face, it swirled like oil in water. But it didn't feel like oil. Nor did it really feel like air. More like a weird mist. Thankfully, it didn't cling. Veronyka still stared at it, though, wondering if she should ask someone about it. Maybe Urianger or Y'shtola, they were always wont to go on and on about these things. But, if she asked them... then she wouldn't have time to spend with her girlfriend because all of her time would be taken up listening to a lecture about how the Calamity had affected the magic in Eorzea. And sure, it was interesting, very interesting, and her friends looked so excited to talk about it but... well, she hadn't seen Minfilia in several hours now and she was getting lonely and worried. That and F'lhaminn had told them to rest, so she should probably get to that 'resting' part. In whatever form that entailed.

As Veronyka approached the Solar today, though, nodding to the few Scions sitting around the room or at the bar with some of the Doman refugees, her ears pricked up, causing her earrings to jingle slightly, at the sound of music coming from beyond the door. Veronyka slowed to a stop in front of the door, wondering if she should knock. Surely, Minfilia wouldn't have company, not if she had music playing. Maybe she was relaxing, or just playing some music to help the work go faster. Veronyka didn't recogise the song, though, but then, she didn't spend much time around those musically-inclined. Aside from those who had 'dancing' attacks, but that was different.

Curiosity, as ever, overcame her, though, and Veronyka turned the doorhandle, opening the door to the Solar. The music washed over her a little louder now, music of the kind that she'd heard coming from buildings when balls had been held. Not that she'd ever been to one, they weren't really her thing. The music, she quickly found, was coming from a gramophone sitting on Minfilia's desk, the woman herself humming along to the tune as she worked on her never-ending paperwork. Veronyka remembered once when she'd asked why Minfilia had so much paperwork if it was Tataru's job as the receptionist to deal with that.

"She just gets stressed so easily, and if there is anything that I can do to make the lives of my Scions easier, I will do it as my duty," Minfilia had told her. "That and... if I have this work to focus on, it prevents my mind from dwelling on topics that I cannot do anything to change."

"That's partly why I throw myself into battle so much," Veronyka had said, taking Minfilia's hand across the desk and looking down at their twined fingers. "In the heat of battle, there's not really much time to think about the past. Everything I've seen and been through..."

Being with Minfilia had that effect too, Veronyka had quickly discovered. When she was with Minfilia, her mind didn't stray to other topics as it was wont to do. Minfilia was the one thing that grounded her, brought her back to earth when it all became too much. Maybe that was the other reason that she always found herself lingering in the Solar, or finding any reason to come back here. She'd heard other people complain about how often Minfilia called them on the linkshell, but... Veronyka found that she didn't hate it. If anything, her heart leaped whenever her linkshell chimed. It didn't even matter what they were talking about or doing, somehow, Minfilia's presence alone was enough to make everything feel okay.

"Oh, Veronyka! I didn't hear you sneak in," Minfilia said now, distracting Veronyka from her thoughts. She rose from her seat, stretching, and Veronyka only let her eyes linger on Minfilia's bared midriff for a few moments before her eyes found her girlfriend's.

"You were kind of busy with work, I don't blame you," said Veronyka, a smile rising easily to her lips. "Are you still too busy?"

"Well, I know my mother did tell us to take a break while we had the chance," said Minfilia. "But I find it hard to relax, knowing that you're out there risking your life in battle while I am back here drowning in paperwork."

"I'm sure Tataru wouldn't mind too much if you gave her a little extra work," said Veronyka. Minfilia shook her head.

"Alas, I cannot in good faith put that extra work on her small shoulders," said Minfilia. "I fear that if I even so much as suggested it, she'd have a nervous breakdown."

"Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me," said Veronyka. "But if you need me to take a day off from saving the realm, I can. There are plenty of adventurers."

"But you like it," said Minfilia. "I can't do that to you. Much as I would like to steal you away to myself." She paused for a moment, considering. "Your evening is free, is it not?"

"Uh huh," said Veronyka, nodding. "Why?" Her ears pricked up in curiosity, and Minfilia reached across to scratch them. Veronyka purred, enjoying the gesture, her tail undulating in delight.

"Because I would very much enjoy an evening spent relaxing with my girlfriend," said Minfilia.

"Relaxing how?" Veronyka asked, her cheeks burning as she glanced at the fireplace. Minfilia caught her gaze and laughed.

"Not quite what I had in mind this time," said Minfilia. "At least, not at first. Tell me, Veronyka, do you know how to... dance?"

"You don't mean the dancing my kind have to do to entertain the Eorzeans, do you?" Veronyka asked, flattening her ears as her eyes flashed in anger. Not at Minfilia, though- no, her mind was on the way that dozens of Eorzeans had asked her to dance for them, all through her life, but especially when she'd been newly adventuring in Ul'dah. Once she'd gained a larger thaumaturge staff, though, those requests had stopped. She didn't even get so much as a glance if she was with one of her dads, either.

"No, no," said Minfilia, holding her hands up. "Of course not, you know I don't think so little of you. And how I feel about it, seeing the many looks my mother gets." Her gaze darkened for a moment before she shook her head. "No, that is not the dancing of which I speak."

"Good, because I don't know how to do that anyway," said Veronyka.

"I do," Minfilia said under her breath, to which Veronyka widened her eyes.

"What?" Veronyka blurted, her tail (and all the fur on it) standing on end.

"You do know who my mother is, don't you?" Minfilia asked with a laugh. "I just learned for fun, really."

"Show me," Veronyka said immediately, and then blushed, her ears flattening as she covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry, sorry, I think you just broke my brain." Minfilia laughed, pulling Veronyka into her embrace.

"You are entirely too cute," said Minfilia.

"Could still kick several gods' asses, though," Veronyka muttered.

"I know," said Minfilia, smiling at her. "But again, that is not the dancing that I had in mind for this evening. Maybe some other evening, but tonight... well, this music has me in the mind for a romantic dance."

"Oh. I... don't know how to do that either," said Veronyka, taking her tail into her hands and blushing, looking down at her hands wrapped around her tail. But Minfilia tilted her chin up so that she could look her in the eye.

"Now, that actually doesn't surprise me," said Minfilia. "If you can't sit still long enough for a history lesson, I hardly think that you would consent to learning how to do anything slowly."

"Exactly," said Veronyka. "I wouldn't mind if you taught me, though."

"You can learn by experience," said Minfilia, giving Veronyka a quick kiss on the lips before making sure that there was space enough to dance. She also hung a small 'do not disturb' sign on the door of the Solar, a necessary precaution after Alphinaud had walked in on them one too many times (he didn't even have the gall to be embarrassed, only complained about how they were wasting time that they could be using for other things).

"Am I dressed properly for it, though?" Veronyka asked, glancing at her coat and down at her pants and boots.

"Of course," said Minfilia. "You don't need to dress fancy to dance. Unless you are at a ball, which we are not." The 'yet' was unsaid but loud enough that Veronyka felt her heart race.

"I guess this is as good a place as any to learn," said Veronyka. "Do you think this counts as relaxing, though?"

"There is little so relaxing and romantic as slowdancing," said Minfilia.

"I can think of some things," Veronyka muttered. Minfilia grinned at her, giving Veronyka's cheek a kiss as she walked past to turn up the volume on the gramophone and place the needle back at the beginning of the record.

"Now, place your hand in mine and your other hand on my waist," said Minfilia as she stood in the middle of the cleared space. Veronyka did so, glancing uncertainly at Minfilia's hand as she stepped towards her. She glanced at the floor, making sure that their feet wouldn't overlap. Not that she could really see Minfilia's feet beneath her skirts, but it was the thought that mattered.

"Is this right?" Veronyka asked, looking into Minfilia's eyes. Minfilia's smile was radiant.

"You don't need to grip my hand so tightly but yes," said Minfilia as she placed a hand on Veronyka's shoulder. "Now, you need only count, and time your steps to the beat."

"What steps?" Veronyka asked.

"We step in a small circle," said Minfilia. "One back, two to the side, three forward, four to the side, and back to one." She demonstrated as she spoke, and Veronyka nodded, trying to commit it to memory. "Shall we try it for real?"

"Yes," said Veronyka, her tail lashing in excitement as she grinned at her girlfriend. Her grin faltered, though, as her foot came down on Minfilia's foot. Minfilia yelped and Veronyka jumped back, her tail swaying in agitation. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

"When I go forward, you go back," said Minfilia, laughing. "Let's try again."

"Your poor foot, though," said Veronyka, her ears flattened. Minfilia smiled.

"It is not as though I am dancing with a hrothgar," said Minfilia. "It didn't even hurt."

"You're just saying that," Veronyka muttered, worrying her tail in her hands again.

"I'm not, I promise," said Minfilia, holding her arms out. "Come on, we'll try again." Veronyka looked at the stone floor for several moments, guilt still gnawing at her, before she at last let go of her tail and took up her former position. "Just don't overthink it."

"Oh, I'm good at not overthinking," said Veronyka.

It took a few more accidental feet getting stepped on, including Veronyka's a few times, but after the initial few, any further accidents were met by laughter.

"Hey, I have to stand on you feet to kiss you," Veronyka protested, standing on Minfilia's other foot as well. Minfilia laughed.

"You do not, I'm not that tall," said Minfilia, but Veronyka kissed her anyway.

"See?" said Veronyka, her tailtip flicking in amusement as she grinned.

"Or I could just hold you up," said Minfilia, and picked her girlfriend up by the hips. Veronyka yelped, her cheeks flushing as she now found herself looking down at her girlfriend, her brown hair falling forward to frame their faces. It felt different, to be kissing her like this, but Veronyka found that she didn't mind at all. Until Minfilia had to put her back down. That part she minded, at least a little.

Gradually, the lesson melted into the romantic evening that Minfilia had probably planned from the beginning. Veronyka relaxed into her girlfriend's arms as they swayed, stepping in time to the beat now. Her hand on Minfilia's waist wrapped around her waist instead, and their clasped hands rested between their chests until Minfilia let go of her hand and instead wound her arms around Veronyka. Their feet stilled, the rest of the world fading away.

"I love you," said Veronyka, looking up into her girlfriend's eyes. Minfilia smiled fondly at her, closing the distance between them with a kiss.

"I love you too," said Minfilia, the warmth in her voice almost surpassing the warm bubble that Veronyka felt wrapped around them. Faintly, Veronyka could still hear the music in the background, but all she could see, all she could feel, was Minfilia. And, not for the first time, she marvelled that this one person was enough to make the whole world just... stop. Enough to make Veronyka slow down and sit still for more than five minutes. She could get lost in this feeling for hours, and she'd be okay with that. All for Minfilia, the woman who had so quickly become her everything.


End file.
